Damper retainer for air cleaning and intake silencing units



- April 23, 1957 J. B. SEBOK 2,789,840

L DAMPER RETAINER FOR AIR CLEANING AND INTAKE SILENCING UNITS Filed July 30, 1953 jg" L United States DAMPER RETAINER F OR AIR CLEANING AND INTAKE SILENCING UNITS Joseph B. Sebok, Dearborn Township, Wayne County, Mich., assignor to Houdaille Industries, Inc., Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application July 30, 1953, Serial No. 371,325

8 Claims. (Cl. 285-158) This invention relates to improvements in a damper retainer for air cleaning and intake silencing units, and more particularly to an individual structure for not only connecting the unit with an air intake horn of a car buretor, air compressor, or some other device requiring a supply of clean air, but which structure also retains and holds firmly in position a sound and vibration dampening element, although the invention may have other uses and purposes as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

Since the advent of air cleaner and intake silencing units, particularly those of the type utilized with internal combustion engines of the automotive type, it has been found necessary to dampen large bottoms and internal partitions of the silencing structure against vibration in order to prevent the setting up of vibratory noises with the resultant amplification of those noises to such an extent that they supersede the desired effectiveness of attenuating one or more of the predominant engine tones. To this end, a damper has been utilized which is in the nature of a resilient band of synthetic rubber or the like and to which the large bottom of the silencer unit is damper retainer means of this character have been found.

objectionably expensive. Since the saving of even a fraction of a penny in the manufacture of an air cleaner andv silencing unit is of paramount importance, owing to the high competitive character of that business, any economi-. cal advantage is extremely desirable.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an importantobject of the instant invention to provide a damper retainer of an extremely economical yet highly functional character.v

Another object of the invention is the provision of a damper retainer embodying a one-piece construction that performs both functions of holding the damper firmly, and providing a means for connecting the entire cleaning and silencing unit to an air intake horn.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a unitary one-piece damper retainer of the character set forth hereii1,-. which is so constructed as to enhance its rigidity and strength. a

- Still a further object of the invention resides ,in th provision of a unitary one-piece damper retainer constructed to provide a depending skirt-for engagement with an air intake horn, a gasket holding formation thereabove to support a gasket to be contacted by the intake horn, a seat for a dampening element, and means for locking the retainer firmly to the element to provide a substantially permanent structure.

2,789,840 Patented Apr. 23, 1957 While some of the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from the following disclosures, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which-- Figure 1 is a fragmentary central vertical sectional view, with a part shown in elevation, of an air cleaning and intake silencing unit provided with a damper retainer embodying principles of the instant invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the structure of Fig. 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary central vertical sectional view taken in the same location as Fig. 1, but showing the retainer just prior to its permanent union with the dampening element.

- As shown on the drawings:

The illustrated embodiment of the instant invention is shown associated with an air cleaner and intake silencing unit, partially illustrated, of a known type including any suitable form of air cleansing means and silencing chambers operating upon the, resonator principle. The unit or cleaning and silencing assembly includes a bottom 1, an internal partition 2 thereabove, and an outlet conduit 3 for clean air, carried by the partition 2. Between the bottom 1 and the partition 2 is a silencing chamber 4 to which communication is had around the clean air outlet conduit 3.

My novel retaining element is generally cylindrical in form and is made of one piece, preferably out of relatively thin sheet metal. The retainer includes a depending skirt 5 slotted at spaced intervals as indicated at 6 to permit contraction of the skirt. Inwardly extending detents 7 may be provided in the skirt, if so desired, depending upon the particular construction of the air intake horn with which the retainer is to be associated.

Above the skirt 5 the retainer is provided with a substantially inverted U-bend to define an annular gasket seat opening downwardly, and the upper face of the lateral portion of this bend defines a shoulder. A suitable gasket 9 may be provided in the gasket seat, and this gasket is to contact the upper edge of the intakehorn with which the retainer is associated.

To one side or the gasket seat formation 8, the retainer is provided with a reverse bend as indicated at 10 and the upper portion of this reverse bend slopes backwardly toward the topshoulder of the formation 8, as indicated at 11. Immediately above thexsloping'portion 11 is an upstanding cylindrical part 12 around which a dampening element may be seated on the shoulder 8.

The dampening element is in the form ofa resilient band or ring 13 which may satisfactorily be made'of syn-. thetic rubberor equivalent material. Periodically this ring is provided with projections 14 extending outwardly away from the body of the ring, and being substantially triangular in cross section as seen clearly in Fig. 3. In

' the illustrated instance, there are three such projections spaced equidistantly on the ring 13. The outer side face of the ring is also provided with an annular, groove, preferably located just under the neck portion of the projections 14, and this groove 15 is initially slightly open as seen in Fig. 3. p

The groove 15 is to accommodate an inwardly and laterally extending flange 16 defining a central opening in the bottom lot the cleaner and silencer casing.-

In assembling the structure, the dampening ring or band 13 is disposed against the upstanding portion of :the bottom v1 carrying the flange 16, and with the flange extending into the groove 15 as .seen in ,Fig ..3." ..The cylindrical portion 12 of the retainer is'then' pushed through the dampening ring 13 to the position seen in Fig. 3, with the shoulder on the formation 8 abutting the bottom of the dampening ring. Thereafter, the upper-marginal portion-17 of the retainer is rolled or spun outwardly .over'the upper edge of the dampening ring to the position seen in Fig. l, and is thereby firmly locked to the dampening ring, and the groove .15 in the dampening-ring is closed, the sides of this groove being compressed over the fiange 16, so as to tightly grip the flange. This locking of the upper margin of the retainer over the upper edge of the dampening ring also brings the lower free portions of the projections 14 into closer proximity with the upstanding wall portion on the bottom 1, as also seen best in Fig. l, and these projections then abutthe aforesaid partition 2 to dampen any tendency of that partition to vibrate. Any tendency of the bottom 1 to vibrate is dampened by virtue of its engagement with the dampening ring, and it will be noted that there is no metal to metal contact or any metal to metal contact continuation between any part of the air cleaner and silencingunit and the retainer, which is the only element of the unit that comes into contact with an air intake horn.

Disposed around the skirt of the retainer is an open ended clamp ring 18, and this ring may be spotted to the skirt of the retainer at suitable points, if so desired. The freeends of the ring may be turned outwardly, as clearly seen in Fig. 2, and the ring is tightened or released around the skirt 5 of the retainer by means of an adjusting bolt 19 in any well known manner. Tightening of the bolt causes a compression of the skirt 5 around an air intake horn to mount the cleaning and silencing unit on that horn, the slots 6 in the skirt portion of course permitting a definite tightening or squeezing of the skirt 5.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that I have provided a retaining element for a dampening means utilized in an air cleaning and intake silencing assembly, which retaining element is extremely simple in construction, comprising only one single piece of material, renders the adjacent parts easy to assemble, and is far more economical than any such retaining means made of a multiple of pieces heretofore used. Further, my simple form of retainer not only mounts the entire cleaning and silencing assembly on an air intake horn, but holds a gasket for contact with that horn, provides a seat for a dampening element, and firmly locks to that dampening element causing it in turn to be substantially permanently engaged with adjacent portions, particularly the bottom, of the cleaning and silencing unit.

It'will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A retainer for a resilient damper for use in an air cleaner andintake silencer assembly, including a one piece annular member having a depending cylindrical skirt 'with spaced slots therein for engagement over an air intake horn, said member having an inverted U- shaped bend above said skirt to provide a gasket seat, and said member having a reverse bend adjacent the gasket seat and a cylindrical portion thereabove with the upper margin turned outwardly over the top of a damper.

2. A retainer for a resilient damper for use in an air cleaner and intake silencer assembly, including a one piece annular member having a depending cylindrical skirt with spaced slots therein'for engagement over an air intake horn, said member having a lateral bend above said skirt to cooperate with the upper part of the skirt and hold a gasket, and a reverse bend extending to one side of said lateral bend and partially back over the lateral bend, and a cylindrical portion extending above said lateral bend to support a damper.

'3. A retainerfor a resilient damper for use in an air cleaner and intake'sile'ncer assembly, including a one piece annular member having a depending cylindrical skirt with spaced slots thereirrfor engagement over. an air intake horn, said member having a lateral shoulder extending inwardly above said skirt, a reverse bend to one side of said shoulder, and a cylindrical portion extending above said shoulder, said shoulder being located to function as a seat for a gasket on one side and a seat for a damper on the other side.

4. A retainer fora resilient damper for use in an air cleaning and intake silencing assembly, comprising a sinpiece member having a lower intake horn engaging portion, an inverted U-bend laterally above said portion to hold a gasket for abutment by the intake born, a reverse bend at one side of said U-bend which stifi'ens the member, and a tubular portion above the U-bend to support a damper.

5. A retainer for a resilient damper for use in an air cleaning and intake silencing assembly, comprising a single-piece member having a lower intake horn engaging portion, an inverted U-bend above said portion to hold a gasket for abutment by the intake horn, a reverse bend at one side of said U-bend which stiflens the member, and a tubular portion above the U-bend associated with a damper, said U-bend providing an annular shoulder on its top face to seatthe damper.

6. A retainer for a resilient damper for use in an air cleaning and intake silencing assembly, comprising a single-piece member having a lower intake horn engaging portion, an inverted U-bend above said portion to hold a gasket for abutment by the intake born, a reverse bend at one side of said U-bend which stiffens the member, a tubular portion above the U-bend to support a damper, said U-bend providing an annular shoulder on its top face to seat the damper, and the upper margin of said tubular portion being rolled laterally outward to embrace the upper part of the damper.

7. In combination, an intake silencing assembly ineluding a bottomhaving a central opening defined by an annular lateral flange, a retainer element comprising a one-piece structure having a depending skirt for engagement with'an air intake horn, a gasket formation inwardly and above said skirt providing an annular shoulder on its upper face, a reverse bend inside said formation, and a cylindrical portion extending above said shoulder, a resilient damper band around said cylindrical portion seating on said shoulder, and said band having an annular groove therein to receive said lateral flange on the assembly bottom.

8. In combination, an intake silencing assembly including a bottom having a'central opening defined by an annular lateral flange, a retainer element comprising a one-piece structure having a depending skirt for engagement-with'an air intake horn, a gasket'formation laterally above said skirt'providing an annular shoulder on its upper face, a reverse bend inside said formation, a cylindrical portion extending above said shoulder, a resilientdamperband around saidcylindrical portion seating on said shoulder, and said band having an annular groove therein which is normally slightly open and which re-:

ceives the lateral flange on said bottom, and the upper margin ofsaid cylindrical portion being rolled over the upper part of said band to lock the band and retainer together and clamp the sides of said groove on said flange.

Referencesfclted in the file of this patent UNITEDISTATES PATENTS 1,605,577 Bruen Nov. 3, 1926 2,263,061 Allen Nov. 18, 1941 2,490,907 Kellaher et a1. Dec. 13, 1949 2,557,237 Sebok June 19, 1951 2,601,172 Sebok June 17,1952 

